Power hoisting apparatus

ABSTRACT

A power hoisting winch having a manual operating device with a friction brake for lowering the load in case of failure of the engine or normally if the engine provides only the lifting. The manual operating device is included in the kinematic chain between the engine and the cable-operating sheave.

O United States Patent 1151 3,640,506 Durand 1 Feb. 8, 1972 [54] POWER HOISTING APPARATUS 1,952,728 3/1934 Rathbun ..254/187 3,502,301 3/1970 David etal ..254/l87 m] Durand 1,406,570 2/1922 Mace 254/187 [73] Assignee: Jean Poningalski S.A., Fontaine, France 3,520,515 7/1970 Pomagalski et al. 254/ 150 X 3,477,695 11/1969 Noly 254/187 X [22] Filed: Mar. 24, 1970 3,220,701 11/1965 Clausen et al. ..254/ 187 [21] APPLNO': 22219 Primary Examiner-Even C. Blunk Assistant Examiner-Merle F. Maffei 6' Foreign Appucafion Priority Dam Attorney-Stevens, Davis, Miller & Mosher Apr. 23, 1969 France ..6912933 [57] ABSTRACT A power hoisting winch having a manual operating device [52] US. Cl. ..254/187, 254/150 with a friction brake for lowering the load in Case offailure of [51] 366d the engine or normally if the engine provides only the lifting. [58] Field of Search ..254/ 150, 187 The manual operating device is included in he kinematic chain between the engine and the cable-operating sheave. [56] References Cited 3 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,628,052 5/1927 McGiffert ..254/ 187 PATENTEDFEB 8:912

SHEEI 1 0F 2 POWER HOISTING APPARATUS The invention relates to a winch the traction cable of which passes over a rotary organ, wherein the lowering of a load attached to the said cable may be subject to manual control by means of a friction brake device by a rotary operating component of the said brake, which increases the braking effort when the said rotary organ tends to move under the effect the load more rapidly than the said operating component, in such a manner that the lowering of the load is synchronized with the movement of the said rotary operating component.

Winches of this type are hand operated and the lifting of the load necessitates considerable effort.

An object of the invention is to provide a power winch that is easily operated and which is perfectly safe in operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide a winch actuated by an internal combustion engine for lifting the load, the lowering being manually controlled in complete safety.

it is a further object of the invention to provide a winch having manually operated emergency device for lowering the load in case of failure of the engine normally driving the winch for lifting and lowering.

Another object of the invention is to provide a power winch including a device for the rapid lowering of the load in safety without appreciable effort and without risk of jamming.

in accordance with the invention a manually operated device for lowering the load, the design of which permits easy operation, is inserted in the kinematic chain transmitting the movement of the motor to the rotary organ. For lifting and possibly for normal lowering the manual operating device is locked and acts as a one-piece assembly or coupling transmitting the movement and in no way interfering with the functioning of the winch. For lowering or possibly emergency lowering the manually operated device controls the lowering without the intervention of the engine.

Other advantages, objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of an embodiment of the invention given for purposes of illustration only and shown in the attached drawings, in which:

FlG. l is a schematic view in axial section of the winch according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a section along line llll of FIG. 1 showing on an enlarged scale the brake device.

Referring to the drawings a shafted sprocket is fitted so as to rotate between side plates l2, 12 of a frame in the form of a yoke and meshes with the toothed flanges of a V-grooved pulley 16 which can rotate freely on an axle 18 which passes through side plates 12, 12'. A cable 20 hauling the load (not shown) is engaged in the V-shaped groove and is driven by friction when grooved pulley 16 rotates. On the end of shaft 22 of shafted sprocket 10 is keyed plate 24 which supports and drives three brake shoes 26, 26, 26". Between plate 24 and sideplate 12' is inserted a brake drum 28 fitted loosely on shaft 22. Plate 24 has a thread nose or hub 30, on which can screw a rotary operating component 32, for example in the form of a handwheel, carrying a crank 34 on its external surface and on its internal surface the central part of a taper roller bearing 36 which coacts with an internal bearing surface shoes 26, 26'26", which, in the form of segments, are radially arranged on plate 24 and each has a guide drive pin 38 which fit into radial notches 40 provided in plate 24. Shoes 26, 26, 26" rotate with plate 24 but may freely effect a radial movement so as to separate and to expand bringing their peripheral surface into friction contact with the internal surface of brake drum 28 the outer surface of which has a toothed crown 42 meshing with a sprocket 44. Sprocket 44 is rigidly fixed and driven by a toothed wheel 46 of a worm gear reducer 48, so calculated as to be practically irreversible. The worm 48 is mounted on a sleeve 50 of a centrifugal clutch the plate of which carrying friction shoes 52 is fitted on the output shaft of engine 54. Centrifugal clutch 50, 52 permits starting engine 54 without load, as it is uncoupled from the winch as long as its speed is below a predetermined value. This clutch should be used with an internal combustion engine 54 but it is unnecessary when an electric motor is used.

The winch according to the present invention functions in the following manner:

After starting of engine'54 and sufficiently acceleration to engage clutch 50, 52, the worm gear reducer 46, 48, sprocket 44, and thus toothed crown 42 of brake drum 28 are driven in rotation. Care has previously been taken to apply brake 26, 28 by screwing handwheel 32 right home on the threaded hub 30, which has caused, through the intermediary of taper roller bearing 36, the separation of the three brakeshoes 26, 26', 26" and their locking on drum 28. Drum 28 is then solid or locked with shoes 26, 26', 26", and through pins 38 with drive plate 24, keyed on shafted sprocket 10 of the winch and the assembly consisting of drum 28, shoes 26, 26', 26", plate 24 and sprocket 10 rotate as a whole under the action of engine 54 to drive grooved pulley l6 and thus the load in the direction of lifting. By slowing down of the motor the uncoupling of the centrifugal coupling is caused and the lifting movement stopped. Thanks to the irreversible reducer 46, 48 the mechanism cannot revolve in reverse and the load is held.

The locking in the reverse direction can obviously result from a device itself well known, for example a brake applied when the engine is stopped. Lowering of the load may be effected by inversion of the direction of rotation of engine 54, for example by simple permutation of two phases, in the case of an electric motor, the transmission of movement being effected in a manner absolutely identical with that previously described for lifting the load, in the opposite direction. Irreversible transmission 48 prevents any untimely lowering of the load by overhauling of the engine by the load.

According to the invention the load may be lowered manually this manual control could be an emergency control in the case of a reversible motor or the main and only control, in particular on a winch with an internal combustion engine.

For the manual lowering of the load, it is sufficient to maneuver plate 32 with the aid of handle 34 in the direction in which it is unscrewed on hub 30 and taper roller bearing is withdrawn to decrease the force of application of the three brakeshoes 26, 26', 26" and thus permit slipping of the brake, that is a rotation of plate 24 and shoes 26, 26', 26" under the action of the load in relation to drum 28 immobilized in this direction by the irreversibility of wonn gear 48. in this movement the hub 30 of plate 24 screws again into operating plate 32, in such manner that if the turning of plate 32 is halted, the lowering movement is stopped as soon as the taper bearing has once more separated brakeshoes 26, 26', 26" sufficiently to apply the brake. The functioning of such a brake is described in detail in the US. Pat. application Ser. No. 6,356 filed on Jan. 28, 1970 to which reference should be made. It is sufficient to note that lowering can be effected only by continuous rotation of plate 32, and there is thus no risk of a runaway load.

The effort required for operation of lowering crank 34 is very low due to the reduction obtained from taper bearing 36 and to the nut-screw connection between plates 24 and 32 on the one hand and on the other hand to the fact that the releasing of the shoes takes place without any relative movement in rotation of the shoes in relation to the brake drum on which they are locked. The lowering movement may at any time be succeeded by a lifting movement by the use of engine 54, for example by simple acceleration causing its coupling.

It will be understood that the above-detailed description is for purposes of illustration only and that the invention is susceptible to various modifications and changes.

What is claimed is:

l. A power hoisting apparatus for raising and lowering a load, comprising: a traction cable supporting the load, rotatable means for imparting motion to the cable which passes over this means, power means for rotatively driving said rotatable means in the direction in which the load is raised, and a device for the manual control of lowering of the load, including a friction brake having a rotary operating component, said power means including a motor and power-transmitting means for -transmitting the movement of the motor to said rotatable means, said manual operating device including a rotary plate said conic bearing surface.

2. A power hoisting apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a motor the direction of which may be reversed to raise or to lower the load with the said manual lowering device serving for emergency use.

3.. A power hoisting apparatus according to claim 2, in which said power-transmitting means includes an irreversible transmission system.

IF l III 

1. A power hoisting apparatus for raising and lowering a load, comprising: a traction cable supporting the load, rotatable means for imparting motion to the cable which passes over this means, power means for rotatively driving said rotatable means in the direction in which the load is raised, and a device for the manual control of lowering of the load, including a friction brake having a rotary operating component, said power means including a motor and power-transmitting means for transmitting the movement of the motor to said rotatable means, said manual operating device including a rotary plate carrying rotary brake shoes, said plate being rotatable rigidly with the said rotatable means and having a threaded hub on which the said rotary operating component is threadedly received when the speed of the said rotary plate exceeds that of the said operating component to increase the effort of application of the brake, said manual operating device further comprising movement-transforming means for transforming the threading movement of said component into a movement of radial expansion of the brake shoes which includes a body with a conic bearing surface and taper rollers for coacting with said conic bearing surface.
 2. A power hoisting apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a motor the direction of which may be reversed to raise or to lower the load with the said manual lowering device serving for emergency use.
 3. A power hoisting apparatus according to claim 2, in which said power-transmitting means includes an irreversible transmission system. 